Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Name: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Released: August 26, 2011
Duration: 99 min
Rating: 56
Cast: Bailee Madison, Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes

2011

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 129 Ratings

See All

5.2

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

5.2	Your Score
5.2	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 129 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

Now Playing: Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

Movie Details & Credits

Miramax Films | Release Date: August 26, 2011 | R

Starring: Bailee Madison, Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes

Summary: Sally Hurst, a lonely, withdrawn child, has just arrived in Rhode Island to live with her father Alex and his new girlfriend Kim at the 19th-century mansion they are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, the young girl discovers a hidden basement, undisturbed since the strange disappearance of the mansion's builder a century ago.Sally Hurst, a lonely, withdrawn child, has just arrived in Rhode Island to live with her father Alex and his new girlfriend Kim at the 19th-century mansion they are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, the young girl discovers a hidden basement, undisturbed since the strange disappearance of the mansion's builder a century ago. When Sally unwittingly lets loose a race of ancient, dark-dwelling creatures who conspire to drag her down into the mysterious house’s bottomless depths, she must convince Alex and Kim that it's not a fantasy—before the evil lurking in the dark consumes them all. (Miramax Films)… Expand

Director: Troy Nixey

Genre(s): Thriller, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 99 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert

Aug 24, 2011

This is a very good haunted house film. It milks our frustration deliciously. Read full review

John DeFore

Aug 25, 2011

Feels retro in all the right ways; it's a bump-in-the-night tale that, if not for the occasional glimpse of a cellphone or reference to Adderall, could have been told decades ago. Read full review

IndieWire Eric Kohn

Aug 26, 2011

Largely a cut-and-paste affair, although useful for that very reason; it provides a glaring reminder that scary movies have evolved, both in terms of style and expectations, but the evolution isn't worth the effort. Read full review

Steve Persall

Aug 24, 2011

Curled up at home with the lights off and DVD player running, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark might be passable fun. Spread over a movie screen, the film's modest ambition gets dwarfed by expectations, especially after paying for a ticket. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

Aug 25, 2011

None of Mr. del Toro's classy fiddling, however, can improve on the original's marvelously economical scares. But if you've always wondered what the tooth fairies want with all those teeth - or if you just need proof that a terrified Katie Holmes looks not that different from the everyday version - this is the movie for you. Read full review

Rene Rodriguez

Aug 25, 2011

A big part of the problem comes in the casting. Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes - the kind of odd pairing of actors that comes only after your first and second choices have passed - are unconvincing and curiously unsympathetic as the architect Alex and his girlfriend. Read full review

Ed Gonzalez

Aug 22, 2011

Does Katie Holmes's hubby get script-doctoring rights even on her own film projects? That would explain why Troy Nixey's inane Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, co-written and produced by Guillermo del Toro, at times suggests an anti-Rx PSA. Read full review

SEE ALL 35 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

Nick5414

Oct 13, 2011

creepy and atmospheric

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Stonecutter

Feb 3, 2012

Great movie! It was fun to watch. It wasn't real scary but a lot of fun to watch. I love those little guys killing and running around. Its a movie that i can watch over and over . They should make a part two and have those little guys killing more people.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

cabrita

Aug 29, 2011

This movie will not make you afraid of the dark but you will instead be attached into the life of a young girl and the new problems she faces in reality and in fantasy.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

xXRenTyrellXx

Aug 26, 2011

Have to say I'm a bit disappointed with this one. I was really looking forward to it, also Katie Holmes is one of my favorites, so the hype was indeed very high! Was not the horror film I was hoping for. However, the movie has it's moments, and is not a complete failure.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Thegodfatherson

Jul 13, 2013

This is not to say that Nixey has done a bad job; more that there is no sense of the director in the film. This film is Del Toro's in story, content and some of the style. But unlike his previous films, this does not have the same depth (this could be because his other work was set in aThis is not to say that Nixey has done a bad job; more that there is no sense of the director in the film. This film is Del Toro's in story, content and some of the style. But unlike his previous films, this does not have the same depth (this could be because his other work was set in a turbulent historical time.) Certainly, Don't be Afraid of the Dark is extremely entertaining for what it lacks in depth, and the creatures are nasty enough that you wouldn't want to find them hiding in the corners of your basement. This films feels like Pan's Labyrinth light: a lone girl against the monsters with little assistance from her parents, a kindly non-relative who swears to protect her at her own expense, and a creepy wilderness. Without the gravitas, its strengths lie in its better-than-average-horror cast and good scares.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

CitizenCharlie

Aug 28, 2011

Guillermo del Toro prefers his fairy tales to contain a certain amount of artistic fantasy, wonder, and even violence. Children today are exposed to a kinder, gentler sort of fairy tale than they were a few centuries ago when they were much more graphic and held dire warnings for waywardGuillermo del Toro prefers his fairy tales to contain a certain amount of artistic fantasy, wonder, and even violence. Children today are exposed to a kinder, gentler sort of fairy tale than they were a few centuries ago when they were much more graphic and held dire warnings for wayward children. In the past, del Toro has successfully revived those stronger veins of story. Donâ… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

mostmoviessuck

Aug 27, 2011

I felt compelled to write this review to warn anyone who is thinking about spending their hard earned money and time watching this film. Absolutely terrible. You have been warned, this movie sucks, really, really, really, really, bad. I have no idea what the critics saw in this film. ThereI felt compelled to write this review to warn anyone who is thinking about spending their hard earned money and time watching this film. Absolutely terrible. You have been warned, this movie sucks, really, really, really, really, bad. I have no idea what the critics saw in this film. There was absolutely nothing good about it.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

SEE ALL 40 REVIEWS